Scoreboard

Week Twelve Game Summaries

St. John's 26, UW-Stout 19
MENOMONIE, Wis. -- All good things must come to an end and UW-Stout's storybook football season closed on a cold, snowy afternoon as the Blue Devils lost a 26-19 decision to St. John's University in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs Saturday, Nov. 18 at Nelson Field. The Blue Devils turned the ball over four times -- three on fumbles -- and racked up 98 yards in penalties.

The Johnnies (10-1) dominated play in the first half of the first quarter, scoring on their first two drives. After Stout coughed the ball up on an interception on their first possession, St. John's quarterback Tom Linneman drove the team 60 yards in eight plays -- all through the air -- and topped off the drive with a 30-yard connection to Chris Moore. The kick failed and the Johnnies led 6-0.

The Blue Devils (10-1) went three-and-out, then gave up 47 yards on the punt return, then were hit with a facemask penalty to the Stout 28. The Johnnies scored at the 7:01 mark when Linnemann found Aaron Krych for a 10-yard scoring play.

Momentum made a major swing on the point after attempt. Linnemann was intercepted by Abraham Cruz on the pass attempt, and Cruz returned the ball for a 2-point defensive extra point.

Stout took advantage of the momentum swing and drove 74 yards, capping the drive with a 6-yard run by freshman Luke Bundgaard. The extra point by Kevin McCulley was good and Stout trailed 12-9 with 4:07 remaining in the period.

The Johnnies would make good on their next drive going 80 yards in 10 plays. Linnemann passed for his third touchdown of the quarter, hitting Blake Elliot for a 5-yard play.

Stout got a McCulley field goal midway through the second quarter to tighten the score to 19-12, but then saw a prime opportunity go by the wayside when they fumbled the ball away at the 1-yard line.

Neither team scored in the third quarter. St. John's extended its lead to 26-12 with 5:51 left in the game on a 2-yard run by Chris Moore.

Stout did add some tension back into the game. Quarterback Justin Fjeldstad drove the team 78 yards in nine plays, hitting Cruz in the end zone from 5 yards out to move the score to the final 26-19 with 1:38 left.

With all eyes and hands ready for the onside kick, McCulley booted a squibber that was recovered by Stout, but didn't go 10 yards and St. John ran out the clock.

The Blue Devil defense chased Linnemann all afternoon, racking up six sacks, including 2½ by conference player of the year, Jeff Hazuga. Hazuga finished with six tackles for losses of 24 yards, while recording eight tackles. Jamie Spielman had two sacks, Eric Lund finished with one and Matt Mueller had half a sack.

The Blue Devils tallied 355 total yards to 273 for the Johnnies. Stout had 183 rushing yards, 128 by Bundgaard, and 172 yards passing. Tight end Brian Johnson had five catches for 75 yards.

Linnemann completed 18 of 34 passes for 221 yards, with Elliot hauling in seven for 86 yards. Moore had 57 yards in four catches.

The Johnnies advance to the next round of the playoffs and will travel to Pacific Lutheran for a game Saturday, Nov. 25. Pacific Lutheran, the defending national champion, defeated Bethel 41-13.

Hanover 20, Hope 3
HOLLAND, Mich. -- The NCAA playoff football trail was a short one for the Flying Dutchmen who bowed 20-3 in a first round game.

Hanover was able to make the best of a soggy, snow-covered playing surface and nearly constant driving snowfall. The Panthers jumped out to a 13-0 lead and survived the elements to advance to the second round.

Senior placekicker B.J. Black, who set a Hanover kicker scoring record with 58 points during the regular season, put the Panthers on the scoreboard at 6:55 mark of the first quarter with a 21-yard field goal.

The Panthers stretched the margin to 10-0 early in the second period. Hanover capped a 10-play, 82-yard drive with an 18-yard scoring strike from senior quarterback Eric Bruns to senior wingback John Agan.

Black gave Hanover a 13-0 margin three minutes later with a 30-yard field goal.

Hope ended its scoring drought with a 37-yard field by sophomore kicker Kyle Blackport with 2:01 left in the first half.

Hanover clinched the victory with a 29-yard scoring pass from junior running back Travis Morris to Bruns with 3:40 left in the third period. Black's extra-point gave Hanover its final margin of victory.

Despite the weather conditions, Hanover totaled 345 yards of offense against the Flying Dutchmen. The Panthers rushed for 119 yards and added 226 yards through the air.

Bruns completed 20-35 passes for 197 yards with an interception and a touchdown. Agan led the receiving corps with eight catches for 84 yards. Freshman receiver Terrell Cummings added four grabs for 45 yards.

Morris carried the ball five times for 33 yards to lead the ground attack. Junior running back Todd England ran for 30 yards on on 10 carries and Bruns added 28 yards on 13 rushes.

Hope totaled 261 yards in the contest, with 200 through the air and 61 on the ground. Senior tight end Brian Adloff led Hope with four catches for 62 yards. Sophomore receiver Mike Gle added six receptions for 57 yards. Senior running back Adam Magers led the Flying Dutchmen's rushing effort with 29 yards on 11 carries.

Sophomore punter Vince Scheffler averaged 47.3 yards on three punts, while senior linebacker Matt Bride was credited with 10 tackles, including two for lost yardage.